Player dismissed from Georgia Bulldogs after second arrest for domestic violence

By Joe Johnson

Rodarius Thomas, a 22-year-old wide receiver, has been dismissed from the University of Georgia football team.

The announcement was made by head coach Kirby Smart during a press conference on Thursday, several days after Thomas was arrested for the second time on domestic violence charges since he joined the team last year.

The most recent arrest occurred early last Friday morning after Athens-Clarke County police officers responded to a domestic violence incident on Mill Creek Way.

He was booked into the county jail on three felony counts each of battery and second-degree cruelty to children.

Thomas’ jail booking photo from last Friday

The police department said it was by law prevented from making public details of the incident because of the child cruelty charges.

The first time Thomas was arrested was in January 2023, when he was charged by the University of Georgia Police Department with false imprisonment and battery for assaulting a woman in a UGA dorm room.

The case was dismissed prior to indictment after the football player completed a pretrial diversion program.